Automatic electric speed-regulator.



M. D. SELDEN & R. L. GRAVES.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SPEED REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1911.

ventors Attorneys Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

METELL'US I). SELDEN AND RICHMOND L. GRAVES, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SPEED-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

"Patented Oct. 8,1912.

Application filed February 28, 1911. Serial No. 611,422.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, METELLUS D. SELDEN and. RICHMOND Gnnvns, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby, Stateof Tennessee, have of a speed indicator arranged upon an auto" mobile orlike vehicleand including an audible signal which is actuated by thespeedometer of the machine during the travel of the machine at variousspeeds.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a speed indicatorarranged upon an automobile or like vehicle, and 1neluding a pluralityof contrasting signals in the form of glow lamps, and an audible signal;the contrasting lamps being arranged on the rear of the vehicle to Warnthe public of; the speed at which the vehicle is proceeding, and theaudible signal giving notice to the operator of said vehicle as heexceeds thevarious speed limits within a town or clty.

With these and other objects in view as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of partswhich will be more fully describedand set forth with particularity in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1' is a view showing in elevation amotor car and the various'parts of the device arranged thereon; Fig. 2is a view showing diagrammatically the arrangement of the various partsand the circuits comprising the speed indicator; Fig. 3 is a detailsectional view of a circuit closing device and the upper portion of anordinary speedometer; and Fig. 1 is a detail perspective View of thestationary contacts and the support therefor.

Similar characters of reference are used to denote like parts throughoutthe accompanying drawings in. the annexed specification.

Our improved speed indicator, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2,comprises a plurality of electrical circuits including a battery orother suitable source of supply A, a circuit-closing oevice B and aplurality of glow lamps C. Connected with the circuitclosing device andreturn wire of the electrical circuit is a shunt including van audiblesignal D, such as a bell or thelike.

Suitably connected with the indicator shaftor spindle 1 of an ordinaryspeedometer is a laterally projecting movable contact consisting ofacircuit closing arm 2. Arranged circumferentially of the indicatorshaft 1 is a-contact supporting member 3 which is provided at itsloweredge with an inwardly projecting flange 4, the said member being.formed of suitable insulating material such as wood fiber, vulcanizedrubber or the like. Arranged on the inner circumferential face of themember or support 3 is a plurality of contact strips or sectors 5, whichare suitably spaced apart throughout the length of the member 3 andare'securely held in placeby transversely extending screws or bolts 6.The laterally and inwardly projecting flange of the member 3 is providedadjacent one end of the contact strips 5 with a series of contacts 7extending upwardly through the said flange into the path of movement ofthe circuit-closing arm 2. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen thatthe end'of the contact arm 2 bears against the inner circumferentialface of the member 3, while the lower portion of the end of the armbears upon the upper face oftlie laterally extending flange 4 of themember 6, and as the contact arm movesforward it will successively makecontact with the contact strips 5 and the contacts 7.

The battery is connected to the indicator, shaft carrying the movablecontact arm 2 by means of a wire 8. Connected to each of the respectivestationary contacts 5 is one of the wires, 9, 10, and 11 each of whichis connected to one of a plurality of glow lamps 12, 18 and 14:respectively, which latter are connected in parallel to a common returnwire 15 which is connected to the battery A. Connected in series witheach of the contacts 7 is a wire 16 having the bell D connectedtherewith, which is in turn connected to the return wire 15. It is to beunderstood that each of the glow lamps 12,

' wire 8, the indicator shaft 1, the movable bile is traveling.

It is to be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that as the vehicle proceedsforward, the indicator shaft 1 will be revolved according to the speedat which the vehicle is moving thus bringing the end of the movablecontact arm 2 into engagement with the contact strips or segments 5 andthe contacts 7 in the forward movement of the contact supporting memberI 3. Should the vehicle be moved forward,say at the rate of eight milesper hour, the movable contact or circuit-closing arm 2 will move forwardinto engagement with the first contact strip 5 arranged upon the member-3, thus permitting current to flow from the battery A through the wire8, the indicator shaft '1, the movable contact 2, wire 9, glow lamps 12,and through the return wire 15 through the battery A, thus lighting thelamp l'2 which will be anindication of the speed at gvhich the vehicleis moving. As the speed of the vehicle is increased the contact arm 2will move forwardinto engagement with each succeeding contact strip 5whereby each consecutive circuit including a glow lamp will be closed tolight the light of that particular circuit. By the arrangement of theshunted circuit including the audible signal D with respect to thecircuit, the

driver or operator of the vehicle Q will be momentarily warned by thesounding of the a signal as he exceeds the various speed limits.

As the contact arm 2 moves forward away from the first contact strip 5into engagement with the next succeeding strip 5, it will make contactwith one of the contacts 7 arranged adjacent the beginning of the lastmentioned contact strip 5, whereby current will flow from the battery Athroughthe contact arm 2, ,the said contact 7, through the wire 16 andbell D back to the battery =A thus giving the driver warning of thechange of speeds of the vehicle.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of construction and method of operation will bereadilyapparent to those skilled in the art to which the in ventionrelates, and while we have described the principal operation of theinvention, together with the device which we now consider to be the bestembodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that such changes ofconstruction may be made when desired as within the scope of theappended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new is In anautomatic speed indicator and alarm, the combination with a speedometer,

of a segment of insulation disposed in circumferential relation to thepointer arbor thereof, a plurality of contact plates mounted inelectrically insulated relation in one Wall of said segment, a pluralityof contact points disposed at right angles to the plate also carried bysaid segment of insulation, one point to each of the plates and.disposed to have a lesser contact surface than the plate, a contact armcarried by the pointer arbor and provided with a T-shaped head to engagethe contact plate and the contact METELLUS D. SELDEN, RICHMOND LGRAVES.

Witnesses:

S. ll. CARTER, L. O. LINDGREN.

